South Korean digital ID cards could arrive as soon as next year

South Korean government will introduce mobile resident registration cards in the second half of 2024 that can even be used at public and financial institutions.

It is used to check people's age and other information on a smartphone app without presenting a plastic ID card. A bill on the revised Resident Registration Act that allows digital ID cards to act as plastic ones has been passed at a Cabinet meeting.

The revised bill permits the use of mobile resident registration cards at financial institutions, such as banks. If the revised bill is passed in parliament and the system's shortfalls are improved, the full use of mobile ID cards will become possible as early as in the second half of next year. It is used to check people's age and other information on a smartphone app without presenting a plastic ID card.